some comments based off some of the things I've read above
FC - great, deserved GC Plainfield - um... a better show than previous years but 1ru is not what I would have expected... Ben Davis - loved it...I'd put you as 1st runner up Lawrence North - I'd probably have you swapping between 5 or 6th with zionsville Carmel - calling their opener a train wreck is a little on the absurd side but anyway. I think 2nd runner up is where I would put them. Zionsville - cutting part of the everything old is new again was the best decision ever. so much better than your ben davis performance
so imo this is how the night should have turned out:
GC - Franklin
1ru - Ben Davis
2ru - Carmel
3ru - Plainfield
4ru - Zionsiville / LN
5ru - LN / Zionsville
Okay I just needed to state my opinion along with some of the comments previously made:
1) FC was phenomenal, especially in finals. I think the only flaw I noticed was one girl dropped her foot cuz she lost her balance and um hi not a big deal at all. The Feelin Good soloist really got into it and nailed it in finals (he looked like it got it pretty good in prelims, but the mike wasnt on) Damon really gave you his best stuff and you took full advantage of that...and it REALLY paid off. You guys have consistently awesome visuals and vocals and I hold you to a very high standard...and you lived up to it. Thank you.
2) Plainfield...I don't know. I don't think I would have placed them that high. I couldn't understand half of the Peter Rabbit song, the diction just wasn't there. Better than the past few Plainfield shows....and hey, at least no one backflipped into a microphone this time!
3) Lawrence North, I don't remember much besides the guys dancing and the a capella part in the ballad. That was fantastic, but the rest, not great, not memorable, and really bad color clashing.
4) Ben Davis, I didn't see the show at BD's comp, but I am so glad I got to see it twice today. The only thing that disappointed me, was the use of those same closer dresses (or same style/design) from like 4 years ago, lol. But your vocals and visuals were there tonight.
5) Zionsville, a MILLION times better than you were at Ben Davis. The one main improvement since BD: GETTING RID OF THE CRAZY AWKWARDNESS!, The one new thing you added since BD that i would love to burn: The purple velour suits the guys wear. Purple and red together is like that old ladys club where they wear purple clothes and red hats (go to a craft store and you will find that stuff EVERYWHERE). Your ballad is GORGEOUS and as I type this, I'm sitting here singing it in my head
6) Carmel, I'm so sorry all that stuff happened in your finals show. I know this sucks to hear, but without those few mistakes, you definitely would have done WAY better in the final standings. I liked the show...minus the fact that "We're In The Money" + tap dancing + giant dimes was done a few years ago by either Center Grove or Huntington North so I was a bit...disappointed to see the exact same thing. Also, put a black cloth over your dress racks if you are taking them across the stage, it took away the element of surprise to see your costume changes.
EXTRA - Ben Davis Sounds - The girl who sang 'You Lift Me Up' (who also had a solo in the mixed show) rocked my world. Not just the solos, but in the girls show, when she came on the stage after the costume change she had such attitude and confidence...it was AMAZING! I absolutely loved it. I was sad I didn't make it back in time to see the finals performance of it, because mainly, I wanted to see her just own the stage again. That is what show choir attitude is all about. Well done.
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SIDE NOTE: As we were walking out, one of the moms (I'm pretty sure it was a Zionsville mom seeing as how there were only Zville and Pfield people around us) excalimed: "Well one of the judges never even looked up. I saw him. If he had looked up, they would have won!". Just to make sure everyone knows and your parents know: There are visual judges (who need to look up), best performer judges (who need to look up), vocal judges, and combo judges. So half the judges, even more, would give the same score if they had blindfolds on.
These are all just my opinions (besides my side note, thats confirmable fact). Don't take any offense to them.
i just want to say thanks to the people at NC for hosting all of us sautrday (cause technically it's sunday already...)
i didnt get to see any other groups really perform cause yeah i'm cool like that, but good job to everyone who competed!
i know in the plainfield homeroom we were goin crazy after finals awards! LC you guys are some of our favs, you guys stayed an cheered us on even when you could have gone home, we love you guys!
great job everyone and good luck with the rest of your season! " border="0" alt="thumbsup.gif" />
FC, way to bring it home!!!!!!!! You've continued to work SO hard, and that work is paying off. I can't tell you how proud I am of you guys and how happy I am for all of you to have this fantastic "bounce back" season!! God Bless and let's keep it rollin', Damon
Something I have noticed with the ISSMA system is that groups who are getting Best Vocal captions ARE LOSING. This seems extraordinarily backwards to me.
When that happens, that means the winning group had a visual score higher than the other group's vocal score. It's quite simple. If you think vocals should carry more weight in the total score than it already does, maybe concert choir is more up your alley.
The ISSMA scoring system works just fine. I don't think a group should be rewarded for not putting effort into visuals. As I said, that's what concert choir is for.
I neglected to ask while I was there - was the ISSMA scoring system used today?
What a wretchedly flawed system - one that doesn't put Lawrence Central in finals. Truly, this competition did not go according to plan.
FC had a great show, and a well-deserved GC
Plainfield has truly come out of the woodwork and proved themselves this year - you deserve everything you've gotten this season.
I don't believe Carmel should have been placed FIFTH. 2RU perhaps, but they gave a solid, classy show, with good vocals and a very strong bass sound, overshadowed only by the fact that you had some phasing issues with the band, and there was some rushing especially through "We're In the Money"
Lawrence Central - just know that this was merely a fluke. You're an outstanding group who consistently places VERY HIGH in finals. Everyone there knew you should have been up on that stage tonight. . .
Something I have noticed with the ISSMA system is that groups who are getting Best Vocal captions ARE LOSING. This seems extraordinarily backwards to me. With state coming up so very very very soon . . . I find myself wondering what on earth this method of scoring is going to pull out of its . .. self in terms of placements.
CAN I GET AN AMEN!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I neglected to ask while I was there - was the ISSMA scoring system used today?
What a wretchedly flawed system - one that doesn't put Lawrence Central in finals. Truly, this competition did not go according to plan.
FC had a great show, and a well-deserved GC
Plainfield has truly come out of the woodwork and proved themselves this year - you deserve everything you've gotten this season.
I don't believe Carmel should have been placed FIFTH. 2RU perhaps, but they gave a solid, classy show, with good vocals and a very strong bass sound, overshadowed only by the fact that you had some phasing issues with the band, and there was some rushing especially through "We're In the Money"
Lawrence Central - just know that this was merely a fluke. You're an outstanding group who consistently places VERY HIGH in finals. Everyone there knew you should have been up on that stage tonight. . .
Something I have noticed with the ISSMA system is that groups who are getting Best Vocal captions ARE LOSING. This seems extraordinarily backwards to me. With state coming up so very very very soon . . . I find myself wondering what on earth this method of scoring is going to pull out of its . .. self in terms of placements.
CAN I GET AN AMEN!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I just got back from North Central's contest. It was definitely amazing and unbelievable. Take my unbiased observations how you wish .
Franklin Central: A very good, solid show. I'm still amazed that everyone can flip the colored plates during the novelty number without a mistake! Most groups can barely handle hats. Excellent job.
Ben Davis: Also a great, solid show. I didn't notice much difference from your performance at your own contest. Either way, it's a big improvement over previous years.
Carmel: The opener was, to be blunt, a complete train wreck. Visually it was extremely sloppy, vocally it just wasn't working. I'm not sure why there was such a quick segue into the ballad, it caught me a little off guard. The show itself is good and entertaining, it definitely has a very old-school 1980's show choir feel (especially the closer costumes). In my opinion, I think the opener sets a negative tone and it had a domino effect on an otherwise decent show.
Plainfield: Oh... wow... I can't even begin to describe how phenomenal that show was. It was a complete 180 from any Plainfield show I've ever seen. Visually, it's nearly flawless. Possibly one of the cleanest shows, and dare I say, damn near comparable to Clinton as far as movement uniformity. During the ballad, I never thought they'd be able to maintain the standard they set at the first half, but it was more than exceeded until they left the stage. Vocally, it was just stunning. The Best Vocals caption was well-deserved. I can't say enough good things, I was absolutely shocked and blown away.
Now, if I had to highlight an area of improvement, it would probably be facial expressions and showmanship. It's a pretty easy thing to fix, and if you watch the video, many performers have a very dead expression. I think that might be why Franklin Central was able to get a higher visual score. But, those are obviously minor things to say about a spectacular performance.
Zionsville: Excellent show, it was entertaining and from what I've heard a huge improvement from a couple of weeks ago. My complaint though was the heavy use of a synthesizer and electronic drum set. Unfortunately, it overshadowed the whole performance. If I couldn't see the combo, I would have thought it was just a generic, mediocre accompaniment tape being used. I would have the drummer either switch to an acoustic set or set the electronic set's "voice" to a more acoustic or traditional sound.
Lawrence North: This was an amazing show all around, I was VERY impressed. Woody definitely gave them his A-material and it fits their style well. The a capella sections just blew the audience away, and I didn't want the show to end. This is a group to watch out for.
North Central: The opener was awesome! The dimmed lighting really gave it an awesome effect and the audience loved it. The second number and ballad were both fun and entertaining. As I noticed at Ben Davis' competition as well, it really falls off after the ballad. The quality is still there, I'm just not feeling the song selection at all.
I'm so glad to see all of the metro Indy schools really stepping up to the plate to show the rest of the country that this city's choirs are a force to be reckoned with. A big congratulations to all the groups that competed today.
North Central HS "MIC Invitational"
Indianapolis, Indiana
March 1, 2008
Grand Champion: Franklin Central "FC Singers" (Best Visuals)
2nd Place: Plainfield "Belles et Beaux" (Best Vocals)
3rd Place: Ben Davis "Premiers"
4th Place: Lawrence North "New Dimension"
5th Place: Carmel "Ambassadors"
6th Place: Zionsville "Royalaires"
MIXED FINALISTS (In performance order): Franklin Central, Ben Davis, Carmel, Plainfield, Zionsville, Lawrence North - Going into finals, I know FC is first, Plainfield is second. dont know others. FC - 1st in VISUALS, PLAINFIELD - 1st in VOCALS. sorry...on mobile device... Running out of battery so i probably wont be able to post finals results.
well i did know this, but i was trying to say that they won by a good amount without making anyone upset. They are VERY good this year, As is Center Grove, i honestly expected it to be closer, but It was good to see 2 of indy's best go against each other...Question for everyone... What do you make of Dekalb beating FC at Ben Davis after beating dekalb at northrop by almost 30 points? Is that indicative of what NC and State are going to be like? since they all have the same score sheet, is it possible that FC just doesn't score well on the issma Sheet? I just wonder how this will effect the results today.
Pike is not competing at NC becuase of something to do witht the women's performance area, not sure exactly but it is mentioned earlier in the forum.
Interesting... doesn't NC have some kind of bizarre set-up with their daytime Single-Gender competition? Isn't it in a small practice theatre or something?
I thought Pike would have known the set-up before agreeing to compete there, I'm almost positive they've been there before.
North Central Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference Choral Competition 2008
Damon really gave you his best stuff and you took full advantage of that...and it REALLY paid off. You guys have consistently awesome visuals and vocals and I hold you to a very high standard...and you lived up to it. Thank you.
GO PLAINFIELD! FIRST RUNNER UP AND BEST VOCALS!
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